The present invention relates to a fuel cell including a hole for maintenance and checkout in a stack case and a blocking device capable of blocking a fuel cell stack from supplying an output to an external device through mechanical operation from outside the stack case.
In recent years, a fuel cell electric vehicle etc. is attracting attention, in which a fuel cell for generating electric power through electrochemical reaction of a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas is used as an energy source. This fuel cell, generally, includes a fuel cell stack having a cell laminate in which a required number of cells for generating electric power through electrochemical reaction of a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas are stacked one on top of the other, and it is formed by covering the outside of this fuel cell stack with a stack case.
Then, as for this fuel cell, there is known a fuel cell including a so-called “service plug” that functions as an electric current breaker for isolating electrically an output cable from the fuel cell stack at the time of maintenance and checkout of the fuel cell stack (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-367666).